Construction work in China is taking place at a frenzied pace the last few years, but since all that new infrastructure requires space, in many occasions buildings have to be torn down and residents to move in order to make room for new projects. There are however, dwellings that stand alone like a nail that refuses to be hammered down, the so-called ‘nail houses’, when owners resist dispossession of their land by developers or hold out for better compensations.

The South-to-North Water Diversion Project (SNWDP), also called the South–North Water Transfer Project, is an ongoing Chinese effort to channel 45 billion m3 of water annually from the Yangtze River in southern China to the country's less fertile northern regions, through three canal systems. The SNWDP, which has up to now cost more than $79 billion, is the largest and longest water diversion project in the world, and benefits the greatest number of people and regions.

The first major combined bridge and tunnel sea-crossing project in China is the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge project. Consisting of three cable-stayed bridges and one 6-km sea crossing tunnel, it will have a total length of 55 km. It will be the world’s longest sea bridge and will link three cities in China's Pearl River Delta — creating one mega-city of 42 million people and slashing travel time between Hong Kong and Chinese city Zhuhai from three hours to just 30 minutes.

In the last twenty years, China’s urban population has more than doubled and aggressive development in the cities was necessary in order to host more people. However, the massive urbanization resulted in thousands of historic sites and buildings being destroyed, to make way for roads and reservoirs. But gradually, instead of demolishing these structures, the practice of relocation began to gain ground, and nowadays it is a common procedure in the Asian country, with a whole industry behind it. The buildings are either disassembled from roof tile to foundation and rebuilt in a new position, or moved to it on rails.

Nine people were buried in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province in Eastern China after a residence complex collapsed on the morning of Thursday Feb. 2, and seven of them have been reported dead. The building’s poor construction was probably the reason for the collapse, as there had been no reports of extreme weather in the area over the last days. Next to the collapsed apartments still stands a residential building seeming relatively intact, which forces the rescuers to work carefully. More than 400 people were involved in rescue efforts, including soldiers, police, fire rescue personnel, and medical staff.

In July 2016, China and Nigeria agreed to a $11-billion contract to build the Lagos-Calabar coastal railway. It will stretch for 1400 km (871 mi) and is expected to open in record time, before the end of 2018. At that time, at least the first segment of the project, a rail line that will connect the cities of Port-Harcourt, Calabar, Uyo and Aba, will be completed. Eventually, the Lagos-Calabar coastal railway line will link all sea ports of the country and is expected to create business hubs for commercial activities.